> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openbio.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start Guide

> Get started with OpenBio in 5 minutes

Get started with OpenBio in just 5 minutes. This guide walks you through setting up your account and running your first analysis - no installation required since everything runs in your browser.

## Step 1: Create Your Account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign up with Google">
    Create your OpenBio account using Google authentication:

    1. Visit [app.openbio.tech](https://openbio.tech) or click "Launch App" on the top right of this page
    2. Click "Sign in with Google"
    3. Grant permissions when prompted
    4. You'll be redirected to the OpenBio interface

    <Tip>No separate password needed - we use your Google account for security.</Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 2: Create a Project

When you first sign in, you will be prompted to create a project. This helps you organize your research into separate workspaces.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a project">
    Create a project to organize your research:

    * Click the "New Project" button in the project selector
    * Type your project name and description (optional)
    * Choose a color for your project
    * Click "Create Project"
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 3: Explore the Interface

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate the workspace">
    After creating a project, you will be redirected to the project dashboard. Familiarize yourself with the three main areas:

    * **Sidebar (Left)**: Navigation, project selector, file and vizualization browser
    * **Research Panel (Center)**: Visualizations, notes, todos, predictions. Your files and vizualizations will be shown here.
          <Tip>
            You can close or open any tab in the research panel. You can also drag and drop the tabs to reorder them.
          </Tip>
    * **Chat Panel (Right)**: Here you interact with OpenBio. You can type your research question in the chat box and OpenBio will respond to you.
          <Tip>
            Try clicking the various buttons at the top of the chat panel to show/hide the research panel, create a new chat, collapse the sidebar, and your settings.
          </Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 4: Start Your First Chat

<Steps>
  <Step title="Begin your first conversation">
    Start chatting with OpenBio to explore its capabilities:

    1. Click the "+" button in the sidebar to create a new chat
    2. Type your research question in the chat box
    3. Try these example prompts:
       * "What is the structure of human insulin?"
       * "Find recent papers about CRISPR-Cas9"
       * "Predict the structure of this sequence: MKTAYIAKQRQISFVK..."

    <Tip>You can select example prompts shown below the chat box to get started.</Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 5: Upload Your First Data

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add your research files">
    Upload your data using any of these methods:

    1. **Drag & drop**: Drag files from your computer into the sidebar
    2. **Upload button**: Click the cloud icon in the sidebar

    <Info>Supported formats include FASTA, PDB, CSV, Excel, images, and more!</Info>

    <Tip>You can tell OpenBio to use a particular file in your chat by typing `@filename` in the chat box.</Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 6: Run Your First Analysis

<Steps>
  <Step title="Try AI-powered analysis">
    Experiment with these example workflows:

    **Protein Structure Prediction:**

    1. Ask: "Predict the structure of human insulin"
    2. Wait for the prediction to complete
    3. View the 3D structure in the research panel

    **Literature Search:**

    1. Ask: "Find papers about AlphaFold published in 2023"
    2. Browse results and summaries
    3. Click on papers to read abstracts

    **Molecular Analysis:**

    1. Upload a chemical structure (SMILES)
    2. Ask: "Calculate properties and check drug-likeness"
    3. View detailed molecular analysis

    <Tip>You can check all the tools available on OpenBio by typing '!' in the chat</Tip>
    <Tip>Your first analysis might take time - perfect opportunity to explore the interface!</Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What You Can Do Right Away

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Explore Biological Tools" href="/user-guide/tools/overview">
    Access PDB, UniProt, ChEMBL, and AI models like Boltz-2 and ProteinMPNN.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Organize Your Research" href="/user-guide/features/projects">
    Create projects, upload files, take notes, and manage todos.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Quick Tips for Success

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Be Specific">
    More details = better results. Instead of "find proteins," try "find human kinase structures with resolution \< 2Å."
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Organize">
    Create projects for different research topics. Use descriptive names and keep notes as you work.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Notes">
    Document your findings, questions, and next steps. Your future self will thank you! OpenBio does this automatically for you but you can edit and add notes on your own as well.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Start Simple">
    Begin with basic queries, then explore advanced features as you get comfortable.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Export Regularly">
    Download important results and visualizations. Better safe than sorry!
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Ready for More?

Now that you're set up, explore these next steps:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Tool Reference" href="/user-guide/tools/overview">
    Discover all available tools and capabilities.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Need Help?

<Note>
  **Stuck?** Check our [FAQ](/faq) for common questions, or join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/fd8QbDv9RQ) for real-time help.
</Note>

<Check>Welcome to the future of biological research! 🚀</Check>

Ready to accelerate your research with AI? Start exploring the interface and asking questions. The more you use OpenBio, the more it learns to help you effectively.